Reading the Sorcerer's Stone
by Satirical Sunflower
Summary: After the war, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna decide to go back in time to the Marauders 7th year to read all 7 Harry Potter books. I know it's been done a lot, but please give it a chance.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Another story! Yay :) I know this topic has been done a lot, but I wanted a go at it. It could be fun, after all. So, I hope you all like it and please review! Oh, and the books never said Alice Longbottom's maiden name, so I just used Smith.**

James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin (Peter was in the kitchens- no surprise there) were just walking around Hogwarts, looking for something to do when Lily Evans came running towards them clutching her book bag and holding a small white note in her hand.

"Evans! What a great pleasure it is to see you here on this fine morning, and I do hope I finally get to go out with you today." James said, trying to get Lily to go out with him… Again.

"No. Actually, I was in the common room working on my homework when I saw this note next to my Transfiguration essay. I swear it hadn't been there when I first sat down, so I picked it up and read it. It said- well, I'll let you guys read it for yourselves." Lily said in a rushed kind of voice, and shoved the note in their faces for them to read. It read:

_To Lily Evans,_

_We're sorry to bother you in whatever it is you're doing currently, but we have a favor to ask of you. We would like you to grab James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Molly and Arthur Weasley, Frank Longbottom, Alice Smith, Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore and go to the Room of Requirement. You all will find the Room opened to go inside. After, just wait a few minutes until we arrive._

_Signed,_

_The Golden Trio + three others_

"What is this? Who are the 'Golden Trio + three others'? Evans if you think we're actually going to follow you-"

"Padfoot, we are going to follow her. She's going to be my future wife someday so we are going to listen to her. Even if I never have when she says 'no'…"

"I'm not going to be your wife, Potter, really I think I've said it enough."

"Prongs, I don't think even if you two started dating, you would actually get married at 17. Isn't that a bit young?"

"Fine, Moony, ruin my day, will you? I will get you someday, Evans! You'll see, you will see. Now come on, let's go. Who else did we have to get?"

So that's why they were in the Room of Requirement along with everyone else on the list, waiting for something to happen. It was like this for a few moments until Sirius called out, "So what are we waiting for?"

"I thought I had explained it to you well enough when I first found you. Now will you-"

Lily was cut off by a huge bang, and the Room started filling with golden smoke. And out of this smoke, came six people.

**A/N: So how was it? This was really only the prologue, but I still wanted to do it good. Please review, even if it's for constructive criticism or an idea or whatever, but please don't flame.**


	2. The Boy Who Lived

**A/N: This chapter took me until a little after midnight to finish… But that's only because I can actually afford it since it's still my summer holiday. :) I hope you like it! And thanks to all 5 people who reviewed before.**

**CHAPTER ONE: THE BOY WHO LIVED**

The six people had consisted of three boys and three girls. There was a boy who looked like James (almost like a carbon copy, practically), a boy with a round face, and a tall boy with flaming red hair. Then there was a girl who looked like she could be the red-heads sister, a girl with bushy hair, and a blonde girl with dreamy eyes.

"Ok, if I didn't know better, I'd say this bloke is your twin!"

"Padfoot, of course he isn't my twin. Plus, he has green eyes, not brown."

This, of course, got the James-look-alike's attention and started to grin broadly, especially after he saw everyone who was there.

"Dad? Mum? Remus? Sirius?"

"Harry, remember they don't know who you are yet. Maybe we should introduce ourselves," Hermione suggested.

"That's true. Ok, so my friends here and I have decided to come back in time to have you all read a series of seven books about my life during Hogwarts. My name is Harry Potter and-"

"Ha! I knew you two were related! So you're his son, right? You couldn't be James' twin, we'd have known about you if you were."

"Yes. So as I said, my name is Harry Potter and my friends here are Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley and Ginny Weasley," Harry said, and pointing to everyone as he said their name.

And so they congratulated Frank for having a son, the Weasley's for having two more kids and James for also having a son.

"Wait, so you said you all are from the future? What time did you just leave?" Frank asked.

"Well, we just came from 1998."

"So that's like, 21 years from now! Cool."

"That means we're in 1977, right? If it's 21 years?"

"Yup."

"So, who wants to read first?" Ron asked.

"What's the first book called?" Remus inquired.

"It's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

"Alright. I guess I'll read the first chapter then." Harry then handed Remus the book and he opened up to the first chapter.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. **

"You're welcome very much," Sirius interrupted almost immediately.

McGonagall just sent him a quick glare and motioned for Remus to read.

_Why does the name Dursley sound so familiar? _Lily was wondering.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. **

"What are drills?" Arthur asked, very interestedly.

"They're a Muggle tool people use to make holes in say, wood to fix things."

He seemed very pleased to learn this. "Really? And how exactly-"

"Arthur, dear, let Remus read. You can ask at the end of the chapter."

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. **

"That sounds just like my sister! Now I just realized, she just started dating a guy named Vernon Dursley sometime last year… He didn't seem like the brightest person when I met him."

"My God, Evans, are all your relatives like that?" James said.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"Then he's probably just a fat weirdo," Sirius said.

"He definitely is," Harry replied.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

"Hey! I resent that! And why would anyone not want to know about us Potters?"

Everyone just ignored him.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursleys sister,**

"Did they just say…?" Lily asked, looking very pale, and afraid.

"I get to marry Evans! YES! FINALLY! WHOOPIE! So now do you agree to go out with me?"

"Nope. Maybe in the future, but for right now, no."

James pouted but said no more on it. Harry also noticed Severus did look a little shocked and hurt at the news, but still said nothing.

**but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. **

"I'm not good-for-nothing! I can do a lot of good things! And is unDursleyish even a word?"

"No, I'm sure it isn't a word, James," Remus answered, and then went back to reading.

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never seen him. This boy was another reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"A child like what? Mine and Lily's son seems awesome! And plus it's their son that seems weird."

"You just called me Lily. Not Evans."

"Well I just thought it would be a bit unusual if I called my own wife be her maiden name."

"Technically I'm not your wife yet, but fine, if you must."

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that anything strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his highchair.**

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the wall. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. **

"Little tyke? More like little brat." Sirius said.

**He got into his car and backed out of the driveway. It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar –a cat reading a map.**

"Professor McGonagall, I bet it's you!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Mr. Black, not all cats in the world are me."

"Yeah, I agree with her."

"Fine, Prongs, I bet a galleon it's McGonagall."

James thought about it for a second, then said: "Sure, you're on!"

**For a second, he didn't realize what he had seen- then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive- no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.**

"Yes they can! If it's McGonagall."

"Mr. Black, will you please be quiet about that subject."

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove to town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. **

"How is that so unusual?" James asked.

Lily sighed, "Because, Potter, Muggles aren't used to wearing cloaks. It isn't normal for them."

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes- the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald green cloak! **

"Why emerald? Why can't it be red or gold or something cool?"

"Because, Black, emerald can be a very nice color," Severus finally said.

"Yeah, for a Slytherin," James said, too low for Severus to hear.

**The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt- theses people were obviously collecting for something… yes that would be it. The traffic moved along and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. **

"Why are all these owls flying where Muggles can see them? What happened?" Alice asked.

"You'll see," Neville said and looked slightly guilty as he continued, "Oh, and you're my mum, sorry I didn't tell you that before."

"I am? Wow…" Everyone knew Frank and Alice were dating, and it was a big relief to them to know that Alice was Neville's mother.

**Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. **

"Wow, a morning full of yelling. How nice," Frank said.

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bum from the bakery.**

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he could see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back passed them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard-"**

"**- yes, their son, Harry-"**

"Why are they talking about us?" Lily asked.

"You'll get to know later," Harry said as he smiled sadly.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. **

"What's a telephone?" Sirius asked.

"I know this one!" Ron shouted. "It's where Muggles can talk to each other, but not face-to-face, and you can talk to them through it. Like owls, but way faster."

"Cool!"

**He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people named Potter who had a son called Harry. **

"Actually, my family is the only magical family whose last name is Potter," James said.

"But it's actually quite popular in the Muggle world. There are actually two families in my street whose last name is Potter," Lily said.

**Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.**

"Yeah, like I would ever name my child those names," Lily said.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at the mention of her sister. He didn't blame her- if he'd had a sister like that… **

"Really! You're the one who should be ashamed to have her as a sister!" Molly exclaimed.

**but all the same, those people in cloaks…**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that morning. And when he'd left the building at five o' clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

**"Sorry," He grunted as the tiny man stumbled and almost fell. **

"Hey, didn't think he had it in him! Nice job, Dursley," Sirius said.

**It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passerby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice! For You-Know-Who has gone at last! **

The room went deadly quiet. No one seems to know what to do or say until James said:

"Voldemort? You-Know-Who? But how?"

Everyone from the past looked at the people from the future, to get an answer.

"Sorry, but we can't tell you just yet. But you'll know soon enough," Ginny said.

**Even Muggles like yourselves should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a stranger. He also thought he's been called a Muggle, whatever that was.**

"Really, I know it's a good thing that You-Know-Who is finally gone, but people need to be more careful around Muggles!" Minerva scolded.

**He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped for before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, Privet Drive, the first thing he saw- and it didn't improve his mood- was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

"Not gonna work!" said Sirius in a sing-song voice. "Not if it's McGonagall, which I'm sure it is."

"No it isn't Padfoot!" James protested.

"Yes it is!"

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is!"

"No it-"

"Ok, you guys need to be quiet, and if you're going to do it do it where you can't annoy us," Lily said.

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal cat behavior? **

"Nope… Hey! I'm just saying the truth!"

**Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs. Dursley had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch to catch the last report on the evening news:**

"**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping patterns." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most Mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

"**Well Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting weirdly today. Viewers as far as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early- it's not until next week folks! But I can promise a wet one tonight."**

"Well, this is really stupid. Even Muggles aren't this dense. They're starting to notice!" said Alice.

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stats all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

"See! He's starting to connect all of it!"

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er- Petunia, dear- you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister. **

Lily sighed, "Why can't I just be on speaking terms with her? Or back to being friends, even?"

"**No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

"**Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…"**

"**So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

"**Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… her crowd."**

"I'm sorry, 'her crowd?' the next time I see her…" James trailed off, the threat in his voice.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea with pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said as casually as he could, "Their son- he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

"**I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

"**What's his name again?" Howard, isn't it?"**

"**Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"Yeah, and Howard rhymes with coward. Harry, what house are you in?" James asked.

"Slytherin. I'm really sorry, but that's just where it put me…"

James then started being all grumpy and moody. After all, his son just told him he was in Slytherin.

"**Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

**Was he imagining things? Could this all have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out they were related to a pair of- well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

**The Dursleys got into bed.**

"And he didn't manage to squish her?"

**Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. **

Sirius had horror written all over his face, "He has a mind? The world is ending!"

**His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on- he yawned and turned over- it couldn't affect them…**

**How very wrong he was.**

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily asked, a little frightened at the foreshadowing.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no signs of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight when the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he just popped out of the ground. **

"Didn't he just apparate? I thought there was supposed to be a noise when that happened," Frank said, to which everyone shrugged, not knowing the answer.

**The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept to the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half- mooned spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.**

"That sounds like you, Sir," said Sirius.

"So it does, Mr. Black, so it does," said Dumbledore, a little confused.

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. ****But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him.**

**He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

"So now we know it has to be McGonagall," Sirius said smugly.

**He had found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"Ah, it's my Deluminator," said Dumbledore.

"I want one!" James and Sirius shouted in unison, they always seemed to want the same things.

"I have one," Ron said, and took out the Deluminator to show it to everyone. James and Sirius looked at it with envy and wonder.

Dumbledore looked a bit confused, "I had the impression I owned the only one."

Ron just smiled mysteriously and motioned for Remus to continue.

**He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left in the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him.****If anyone looked out of their window now, even the beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer ****b****ack inside his cloak and set off down the street towards number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat.****He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"YES! Now hand me my galleon, Prongs, hand it over."

"Fine," James said whilst putting, handed Sirius his galleon, and seemed to mumble something else that no one could hear.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. **

"Why emerald, Professor? You could have worn red!"

**Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

**"How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

**"You'd be stiff too if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

"Well, why'd you sit there all day then?" Sirius asked.

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles noticed something's going on. It was on their news."**

**She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"I think Dedalus Diggle is awesome! He always has the funniest jokes!"

"**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes swapping rumors."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on: "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?"**

"Always leave it up to Professor Dumbledore to say something like that," chuckled James.

**"A what?"**

**"A sherbet lemon. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for sherbet lemons.**

"Oh, come on, it's always time for candy!" said Sirius to McGonagall.

**"As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"**

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like your self can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort."**

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was un-sticking two sherbet lemons, seemed not to notice.**

"**It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

**"I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half-exasperated, half-admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the one You-Know - oh, all right, Voldemort -was frightened of".**

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"Only because you're too noble to use them, Professor," Alice said.

**"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."**

Everyone laughed, "I guess you two think alike then," Lily said to Alice, still laughing.

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

"Ok, way too much information," Sirius said.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

"Aren't we all wondering that?" Frank pointed out.

"Yes I think we are. Except Snivilus over there, of course," said Sirius.

"Hey! Of course I'm wondering what happened! I'm sure everyone who read this book would have been, no matter who they are," Severus said, defending himself.

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now.**

**It was plain that whatever 'everyone' was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another sherbet lemon and did not answer.**

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "Is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. **

"Why is he looking for us?" Lily said in a shaky voice, it was clear she was scared. James held her comfortingly.

**The rumor is that Lily and James Potter**

Remus didn't continue here. Instead, he got very pale and the book nearly dropped out of his hands, and would have if James hadn't caught it. James read the rest of the line to himself, and he actually started crying. Remus reluctantly took the book back and read the rest of the line so everyone would know what it said.

**are- are- that they're– dead."**

To say everyone was shocked would be an understatement. Lily and James just held each other and cried, and everyone else from the past had tears running down their faces. Everyone from the future looked down sadly.

"Don't worry; we're going to change this. We'll have you live," Molly said through her own tears.

This, at least, was some consolation for Lily and James.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

**"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..."**

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know ..." he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry.**

"WHAT? It's bad enough he killed me and Lily, but my son?" James said, outraged.

"Calm down dad, I'm obviously still alive if I'm here, right?" Harry said.

"Oh… Right… But how?"

"Don't worry, you'll see."

**But- he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke- and that's why he's gone."**

Everyone looked at Harry with admiration, and started to congratulate him.

"You defeated Voldemort when you were only a baby," James said looking at Harry with wonder.

"Yup. That's the story of my life, basically."

**Dumbledore nodded glumly. "It's- it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... All the people he's killed... He couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding... Of all the things to stop him... But how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"**We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

"But you always know, Professor! I'm sure you must at least have some theories."

"Yes, I probably already had some theories forming in my head. But I won't know for sure until I was older, I'm sure."

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took out a watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

"Why is Hagrid coming?" James asked.

"I'm sure we will find out now," McGonagall said.

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

"No! You can't do that, Professor! You don't know what Tuney's like, they'll hate him!" yelled Lily.

"Yeah, what about me? Or Moony? The Weasley's? Even Wormtail!" shouted Sirius.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Evans, Mr. Black, this is the future, and I'm sure I have a reason I am doing this," Dumbledore replied calmly.

**"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't."**

"Even McGonagall agrees with us…" James mumbled.

**I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"Yeah, a letter will totally convince them," Sirius said with a snort.

"**A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!"**

"Wow," James and Sirius said together.

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

"I guess when you say it like that, it does make sense…" Lily said dejectedly.

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed and then said, "Yes- yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here Dumbledore?"**

**She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

**"Hagrid's bringing him."**

**"You think it's- wise- to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I would trust Hagrid with my life," Dumbledore said.

**"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

"I guess you think the same, Professor," said Frank.

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "But you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to- what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky- and a huge motorbike fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"Cool! I want one! I totally bet that its mine!" Sirius exclaimed and started bouncing in his seat.

"That is so not yours Padfoot," James said.

"Yes it is! Another galleon that it's mine."

"Sure."

**If the motorbike was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of dustbin lids and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorbike?"**

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorbike as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it me.****I've got him, sir."**

"Yes! Gimme my galleon Prongs," Sirius said while chuckling evilly.

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir - house was almost destroyed but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we were flyin' over Bristol."**

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. **

"Aw. I bet you were just adorable then!" Ginny whispered to Harry.

**Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

"Is that where you got hit?" James asked. "Can we see it?"

"Sure," said Harry, and pulled up his bangs to show them his scar. Everyone looked at it with awe.

**"Is that where - ?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground. **

"That must be useful," Sirius chuckled.

**Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned towards the Dursleys' house.**

**"Could I - could I say goodbye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid.**

**He bent his great shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss.**

**Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog. **

"Hey! What so wrong with dogs? They're awesome!" Sirius said. James kicked him and everyone else looked at him weirdly.

**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall. "You'll wake the Muggles!"**

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles –"**

"Again, even Hagrid agrees!"

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door.**

**He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out…**

"**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "That's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice. "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself on to the motorbike and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

"I so can't wait to get that bike!"

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street.**

**He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four. "Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak he was gone.**

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream **

"One of the most wonderful things to wake up to," Harry said sarcastically.

**as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley...**

"Weirdo brat."

**He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"**

"Well, that's it for the first chapter," Remus said. "Anyone else want to read next?"

"I guess I will," said Severus, and Remus handed the book to him.

**There you go, the first official chapter. Please remember to review! :)**


	3. The Vanishing Glass

**A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in such a long time! At first it was only because no one was reviewing, but then when people did, I really have no other excuse than just being lazy. So it's justified if anyone wants to come after me with pitchforks if they want to. And plus, I did have midter****ms, so I really had to make sure I got all my hw done if I wanted to pass them (which I did, thankfully!) Oh, and ****Laurenmk18**** pointed out that I accidentally said 1997 instead of 77 in the first chapter, so thanks for pointing that out! It also seemed like VeletRose529 and vampsrulewolvesdont were the only ones who picked up on something I wrote in the first chapter. If you want to go back to see what it was, feel free (or not, totally your choice). If you didn't, however, then don't worry because it will come up again when Harry finally goes to Hogwarts. I also have my friend Sarah (cutejellybean132- read her stuff, it's really good!) for helping me a little with this chapter, for if she hadn't, well, it would have taken much longer to finish. And we wouldn't want that. Plus I edited a couple parts since I feel I've become a better writer and therefore I had the need to edit this. On a happier note, for all you Gleeks reading this, KLAINE HAS FINALLY HAPPENED! You don't realize how happy I am, I almost ran around my house screaming with joy. And so since I am done rambling, on with chapter two!****  
**

**CHAPTER TWO – THE VANISHING GLASS**

"Why is this chapter called 'The Vanishing Glass?" Severus asked.

"It could possibly mean that Mr. Potter has finally started showing signs of accidental magic," responded Dumbledore thoughtfully.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on their front doorstep,**

"Hey, that means your 11! You're going to get your Hogwarts letter!" James exclaimed, grinning.

**but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bobble hats,**

"That has to be Dudley," Sirius said.

**but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large, blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a roundabout at the fair, playing a computer game**

"What's a computer game?" Arthur asked.

"It's a game you can play on a piece of technology called a computer. There are lots of different types, too. Some are fun, but others just don't make any sense at all," Lily answered.

"Really? And what exactly is a computer?" Arthur started to get a bit giddy with excitement of learning about Muggle objects, but Molly shushed him, wanting to read more of the book.

**with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

"Maybe he ran away. Harry, did you run away?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"Sadly, no. Actually, that thought never crossed my mind. Even if I did though, I wouldn't have had anywhere to go. I didn't know anyone here at the time," replied Harry with a slight grimace.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake, and it was her shrill voice which made the first noise of the day.**

"That has got to be truly horrible."

"Padfoot, let Severus read. And be quiet."

"Yeah, yeah, Moony."

"**Up! Get up! Now!"**

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again. "Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking towards the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the cooker. He rolled on to his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorbike in it.**

"My motorbike! Whoopie!"

"Padfoot, I thought Moony told you to be quiet."

"Prongs, you know that for me, it's impossible. But fine, for now I will."

**He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before. His aunt was back outside the door.**

"**Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

"Is she really that rude all the time?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, most of the time she is, actually."

"**Nearly," said Harry.**

"**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

**Harry groaned.**

"**What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door. "Nothing, nothing..."Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten?**

"Trust me, anyone would have," Harry said.

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them,**

"Why spiders, Harry? They're gross and really nasty!" Ron yelled.

"What's up with him?" Frank asked.

"Oh, he has a huge fear of spiders," Ginny answered. "Sometimes it's pretty funny. You should have seen his reaction when he found a spider at the foot of his bed one morning when he was seven."

"Hey! You would have freaked out too if one morning you woke up and saw the hugest spider that ever lived crawling at the end of your bed," Ron replied defensively and blushed a little, while everyone laughed.

**put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

"WHAT?" everyone shouted, you can imagine how this would anger everyone who became friends with Harry since the group of six had arrived.

"Well, it wasn't actually that bad, you know," Harry said.

Everyone either glared or looked pointedly at him, save McGonagall and Dumbledore, although they did each look a little mad.

"Ok, maybe it was, but technically this hasn't happened yet so you can't judge anyone."

They all just mumbled and nodded, and Severus continued reading.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had got the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punch-bag was Harry**

"And why is that?" James asked, a little angry.

"Simple. He hated me," Harry answered, shrugging.

James still looked angry, but kept quiet.

**but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"Good, that means you're awesome at Quidditch. You are good at it right?"

Harry smirked mysteriously at James, and motioned for Severus to continue reading.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age.**

"Nope, everyone in the Potter family is like that. Small, skinny gits," Sirius joked, and James whacked him on the back of his head in return.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was.****Harry had a thin face, knobby knees, black hair****and bright-green eyes. He wore round glasses held together by a lot of Sellotape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead which was shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

"Yeah, I think everyone already thinks it's pretty cool."

**He had had it as long as he could remember and the first question he could ever remember asking his aunt was how he had got it.**

"**In the car crash when your parents died,"**

"WHAT? We didn't die in a car crash! Why can't you just tell the truth?" James asked angrily.

**she had said. "And don't ask questions."**

McGonagall tsked. "How are you supposed to learn anything if you're not allowed to ask questions?"

**Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

"**Comb your hair!"**

"That's so not going to work. You have no idea what I've tried to do with my hair."

**he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place. Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large, pink face, not muck neck, small, watery blue eyes and thick, blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head.**

"Well, isn't he just a lovely young man," Frank said, very sarcastically.

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel - Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

"Nice one!" Sirius commented, and Harry grinned.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room.**

"How many presents did he get?" James asked.

"A lot, I can tell you that. He usually gets more each year."

James only shook his head in response.

**Dudley, meanwhile** **was counting his presents.**

**His face fell. "Thirty-six,"**

"And he's actually disappointed?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah, well it is sort of to be expected, with how he was raised."

**he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"**Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, its here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy."**

"**All right,** **thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face.**

**Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"I can't believe he's actually that spoiled," Sirius said. "Not even Regulus would freak out over less presents."

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another **_**two **_**presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? **_**Two **_**more presents. Is that all right?"**

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty… thirty…"**

"Of course he isn't able to count, we should have expected that," Sirius said.

"Well, what do you expect from a kid like that?" Severus said.

"**Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"**Oh," Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled.**

"**Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"Oh Merlin," James whined.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

"**Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg.**

"Mrs. Figg? Do they mean Arabella Figg?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yeah, it is," Harry responded.

"Why do you want to know, Professor?" Molly asked.

"Because Arabella is a squib who works for the Order," Dumbledore answered.

"Do you mean 'The Order of the Phoenix,' Professor?" James asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Because it's Sirius', Remus' and my goal to join it as soon as possible."

**She can't take him."**

**She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away.**

"Harry! It's not nice to call someone mad," Lily scolded.

Harry just blushed and motioned for Severus to continue reading.

**Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"**Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this.**

**Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws and Tufty again.**

"Well, at least that's an up-side to it," said Sirius.

"**We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

"Who's that?" James asked.

"Oh, she's my Uncle's sister. I really, really hate her. You can only imagine why."

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

"**What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?"**

"She's still friends with her?" Lily asked, horrified. At everyone's questioning looks, she added, "Yvonne is perhaps one of the most horrid women you will ever meet. I don't know what Tuney ever saw in her. She makes James look like he's an angel."

"Hey! I resent that!" James cried indigently.

"**On holiday in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

"**You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

"But isn't that considered an act of cannibalism?" Lupin piped up. "A crazy old fruit eating a fruit?"

Everyone laughed and Harry managed to say; "Yes, I suppose it is, isn't it?"

"**And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

"Oi! That's not very nice!" Frank chimed.

"Story of my life," Harry grimaced.

"**I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

"**I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave him in the car…"**

"**That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…"**

"WHY I OUGHTTA-!" James cried in outrage, while Lily cried out, "How DARE she treat my son like that!"

Hermione watched them grim faced. "People, it's hard to hear and I can understand that… But it's a book. None of this has really happened yet. Please try to keep that in mind."

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying- it had been years since he'd really cried- but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

"**Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

"'Dinky Duddydums?' That is hilarious!" Sirius managed to say while laughing.

"**I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother.**

**Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat.**

"What's wrong with rats? They're cool!" Sirius said, defending Peter without anyone really knowing (except James and Remus, of course).

"A lot of things…" Harry muttered in response, knowing what his godfather was getting at.

**He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

"Well, isn't he just such a smart little boy," Alice said, while everyone rolled their eyes at her sarcastic remark.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life.**

"For the first time?" James almost yelled. "If I even get a glimpse of either of those two idiots I am going to… well, things that aren't nice. Harry doesn't deserve to be treated like he does."

"Hey, but at least I did get to go to the zoo! There was this one part that was pretty funny to watch," Harry said, in remembrance.

**His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

"**I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "Honestly…"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

"ACCIDENTAL MAGIC!" Sirius yelled, while grinning like a maniac.

"…No really?" Remus asked sarcastically.

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.**

"Why that little… treating my son like filth…" James mumbled angrily. After all, you would be a little pissed if you found out your son was getting picked on.

"Well, technically that is over now, if you think about it…" Harry said.

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he **_**couldn't **_**explain how it had grown back so quickly. Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls).**

"Eww! Why would she even buy that in the first place?" asked a horrified Sirius.

"I keep asking myself that everyday…" Harry replied. "She always buys the weirdest things."

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

"Yay! Finally he doesn't get punished!" James said excitedly.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens.**

"How did you ever manage that?" Lily asked, perplexed. Well, everyone was, but still, she was his mother so of course she was worried.

Harry just shrugged and motioned for Severus to continue reading.

**Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney.****The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trashcans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.**

"That sounds a lot like accidental apparition… wow," Frank said in admiration.

Dumbledore, Harry noticed, looked a bit thoughtful. He supposed it was just because accidental apparition wasn't as common as regular accidental magic.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

Harry grimaces; cabbage definitely weren't his favorite food.

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.**

"… **Roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

"I know Sirius likes motorcycles, but I doubt he'd turn into an actual hoodlum because of it," Remus said.

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"Of course it was, it's mine!" exclaimed Sirius.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!" Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

"How much you wanna bet, Chubby?"

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

"Maybe it wasn't…"

"Black, be quiet! I'm trying to read here!" Severus yelled from across the room.

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop.**** It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blonde.**

"That can be fixed," Lily said.

"Don't insult the poor gorilla!" James defended it.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

"Yay! He's nice for once! … Sort of…" Alice said.

"Well, at least Harry got to eat something. It seems he was far too thin then, he's still much too thin now!" Molly exclaimed, while thinking that once they got back, her other self that Harry knew better would probably try to fatten him up a bit.

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last. After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

"NO! I wanted to see it crush the walrus' car!" Sirius all but whined.

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

"That has got to be the ugliest thing ever to watch," said Sirius.

"**Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

"**Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

"That's harassment, you know," informed Lupin, while a few people (coughjamesandsiriuscough) rolled their eyes.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

_**It winked.**_

"NOOOOO!" yelled basically everyone minus the future people, Dumbledore, McGonagall (although she was glaring at the book, as though it was the books fault Harry was a Parslemouth) and James.

James, after everyone stopped screaming, blinked a few times, and said, "My son… a parslemouth… GIMME A HIGH FIVE, KIDDO!"

"I should have seen that coming…" Dumbledore murmured, though mostly to himself.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

"Sooo, you gonna talk to it?" James asked.

"Well, yeah, although it didn't really say anything much." Harry answered.

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: **

"_**I get that all the time."**_

"**I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

"Wait, so if you're a parslemouth, does that mean anyone listening at you talk would hear the weird hissing noises that Parsletougue is supposed to sound like?" Remus asked.

"Well, obviously I wouldn't know but I suppose so, since I was the only person in the place who could speak the language," replied Harry. "But for the record, I'm not one anymore."

"Why, I thought being a Parslemouth was genetic?" Alice asked. Although, everyone else was wondering too, obviously.

"We won't be able to tell you right now, but you'll be able to find out in one of the later books." Neville answered.

"**Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

"**Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?"**

"If I could, I would totally take it to Brazil," Sirius said.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

"Dang it, Harry didn't get to talk to the sake more," James pouted, which caused him to receive weird from others, but being the person he was (or, as Lily would say- the prat he was) he ignored them. It's not like he noticed anyway.

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

"**Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor.**

"Hey! No one pushes my son on the floor! How dare-"

"James, as much as I hate it too, this hasn't happened yet. Please calm down your overinflated ego."

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror. Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

"Nice one Harry! High five!" Sirius yelled, and high fived an amused Harry.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "**_**Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo."**_

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

"**But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"Well obviously you wouldn't understand as much if you're a Muggle, but if you think carefully then I'm sure you can figure out that it was magic."

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

"Way to exaggerate the truth, will ya? This can't be what the world is coming to," Severus said a bit pessimistically.

"Well, there are quite a few of people who are smart and/or good-natured in my neighborhood, so it isn't too bad," Lily defensively said.

**But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go — cupboard — stay — no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

"Okay first of all, Harry does not deserve to be locked up and starved, although you wouldn't know since you have an IQ of about 75. Plus its bad to drink, and you can get a bad hangover if you drink too much,"

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.**

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"So… That was when we… died?" Lily asked quietly.

"Yes," Harry whispered, and sighed. "Sadly it was really the only thing I could ever remember of you guys."

Everything was still and quiet for a couple moments, so everyone from the past could just soak it all in. When that had been finished, Severus started reading the rest.

**His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions.**

"You aren't even allowed to ask questions? How are you supposed to learn then?" Remus asked.

"Well, mainly by just watching really… I was actually an observant person before Hogwarts," Harry answered.

Everyone from the future snorted, except for Lune who merrily looked at Harry with the kind of misty eyes that she usually had on her face. "No offence, but you certainly weren't very observant when we actually did get to Hogwarts," Ron said.

"No offence taken."

**There were no photographs of them in the house.**

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley.**

"That has to be Dedalus Diggle!" Sirius yelled.

**After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word.**

"I have a question: How do these people even know who you are? I mean, obviously you're a wizard and all but what's with everyone coming up to you?" Frank asked.

'You see, although I didn't know at the time I was a little popular in the Wizarding World, so sometimes people would come up to me to say hello," Harry answered.

Neville snorted. "Harry, you were way more popular than you think you were, trust me."

**The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

"Of course! It was Disapperation, after all," Sirius said.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

There was a moment of silence, then Molly said, "Well, if that's the end of the second chapter I think it's best if we all went to bed for today. It was late when we all started reading. How about we all meet up here again in the morning?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Oh just to let you know, because of our purpose for being here, and because of the spell we used, your able to Apperate and Disapperate inside the Room," Hermione informed them, mainly to Molly and Arthur, and each thanked her for the information.

The current '77 Hogwarts students left the Room to go to their respective dormitories, the two teachers went to their rooms in their offices, and Molly and Arthur Disapperated back to their home. The six from the future agreed to sleep in the Room of Requirement for as long as they were in the past.

"So… What do you all think so far?" Hermione asked.

"They actually seemed very quick in accepting us, though I suppose we should be grateful. At least they didn't attack us," Ron answered. Everyone else agreed.

"It seemed as though there were a lot of Wrackspurts surrounding Snape. It could interfere with his ability to think," Luna said.

Used to the statements Luna usually said, everyone conversed with each other as they got ready for bed.

~~Page Break~~

"So Lily, are you sure you don't want to go out with me?"

"Yes James, I'm pretty sure. If you really want me to go out with you as much as you seem to, then I promise I will consider it at the end of this book."

At this James looked hopeful… Very hopeful. His grin was so big, that if you had asked someone about it, they would say that it could replace the Sun with how much happiness and light that came from it. James then ran/skipped all the way back to Gryffindor House as his two friends tried to catch up with him. Lily merrily looked at them until they rounded the corner, and then started walking again, a little in shock at what she just told James.

**A/N:**** So, how do think this chapter was? Any thoughts, questions, opinions? Reviews are always appreciated! Also… TOOTSIE NOODLES. If anyone knows who that is, then you are officially my favorite person ever. *clears throat* Anyway, back to being normal. REVIEW!**


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